INSIDER
Appeals court to weigh reimposing fines for Texas foster care failures, removing judge on case
Read full article: Appeals court to weigh reimposing fines for Texas foster care failures, removing judge on caseTexas Health and Human Services could face $100,000-per-day fines for violating a judge's orders. The state wants the judge off the case.
Texasโ floating barrier in the Rio Grande can stay for now, appeals court says
Read full article: Texasโ floating barrier in the Rio Grande can stay for now, appeals court saysAfter Texas deployed the barrier, a panel ordered it removed. The full appeals court says it can stay while a lower court hears a case on the merits.
Stateโs move to bump federal judge from longtime foster care lawsuit caps years of battles
Read full article: Stateโs move to bump federal judge from longtime foster care lawsuit caps years of battlesA federal judge has taken the Texasโ foster care system to task for 13 years. Reforms have been made. Now armed with private legal fire power, the state wants the judge off the case.
Galveston County redistricting case draws divide among federal appeals court judges
Read full article: Galveston County redistricting case draws divide among federal appeals court judgesThe 5th Circuit expressed skepticism about arguments from both sides in considering whether a coalition of Black and Latino voters should be granted the same protections as a single racial group under the Voting Rights Act.
Appeals court considers whether West Texas A&M drag show was unconstitutionally banned
Read full article: Appeals court considers whether West Texas A&M drag show was unconstitutionally bannedUniversity President Walter Wendler canceled a drag performance last year, claiming such shows โdenigrate and demean women.โ
Disagreement and confusion on display in hearing over Texasโ new immigration law
Read full article: Disagreement and confusion on display in hearing over Texasโ new immigration lawThe Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments about whether to allow back into effect a law allowing state and local authorities to deport migrants.
Texasโ new immigration law is blocked again
Read full article: Texasโ new immigration law is blocked againHours after the U.S. Supreme Court had allowed Senate Bill 4 to go into effect, a federal appeals court let an earlier injunction stand. SB 4 lets Texas police arrest people suspected of illegally crossing the Texas-Mexico border.
5th Circuit upholds Texas law requiring minors to obtain parental consent for contraception
Read full article: 5th Circuit upholds Texas law requiring minors to obtain parental consent for contraceptionA three-judge panel in New Orleans ruled that a Texas law requiring minors to obtain parental consent to obtain birth control does not conflict with the goals of the federally-funded Title X program, which has given teens birth control confidentially.
Texas executes Ivan Cantu for Dallas murders despite doubts of his guilt
Read full article: Texas executes Ivan Cantu for Dallas murders despite doubts of his guiltFaith leaders and jurors from the original trial launched a public campaign to reconsider recanted testimony in Cantuโs case. Texas courts declined.
Texas conservatives test how far they can extend abortion and gender-transition restrictions beyond state lines
Read full article: Texas conservatives test how far they can extend abortion and gender-transition restrictions beyond state linesRecent state and local legal maneuvers signal that Texasโ conservative movement could be wading into a complicated Constitutional morass the country hasnโt dealt with since before the Civil War.
Appeals court blocks Texas from enforcing book rating law
Read full article: Appeals court blocks Texas from enforcing book rating lawPlaintiffs claimed that the 2023 law, which required book vendors to rate the explicitness of sexual references in materials sold to schools, was unconstitutionally broad.
Emergency rooms not required to perform life-saving abortions, federal appeals court rules
Read full article: Emergency rooms not required to perform life-saving abortions, federal appeals court rulesThe Biden administration reminded hospitals of their obligation to perform life-saving abortions under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act after the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Texas sued, arguing it was an overstep that mandated abortions.
Federal appeals court questions Texasโ new school library regulations
Read full article: Federal appeals court questions Texasโ new school library regulationsHouse Bill 900 seeks to rid school libraries of inappropriate books by requiring book vendors to rate materials. A legal challenge says the law is too vague and broad.
Appeals court considers whether Texas teens should be allowed contraception without parental consent under federal program
Read full article: Appeals court considers whether Texas teens should be allowed contraception without parental consent under federal programLast year, Judge Matthew Kacmsaryk closed off one of the only avenues for Texas teens to get confidential contraception. The 5th Circuit will hear arguments on the controversial case Monday.
Appeals court rules against longstanding drug user gun ban cited in Hunter Biden case
Read full article: Appeals court rules against longstanding drug user gun ban cited in Hunter Biden caseA federal appeals court has ruled that drug users shouldnโt automatically be banned from having guns, marking the latest sign of upheaval in the nationโs firearm legal landscape and raising questions about a law cited in the case against Hunter Biden.
Part 2: Texas backlash to Obama fueled conservative drive to reinterpret U.S. Constitution
Read full article: Part 2: Texas backlash to Obama fueled conservative drive to reinterpret U.S. ConstitutionBarraging the Obama administration with lawsuits, the Texas attorney generalโs office wasnโt just trying to block policies. It was injecting disruptive, overtly Christian legal philosophies into the mainstream, and grooming a generation of conservative legal warriors.
Part 3: Under Trump, Texasโ foot soldiers became federal judges, securing a conservative stronghold in the courts
Read full article: Part 3: Under Trump, Texasโ foot soldiers became federal judges, securing a conservative stronghold in the courtsA federal judiciary full of ideological allies is helping Texas block Democratic priorities and advance right-wing legal doctrines. But the bigger prize is conservative control of the rule of law itself.
University of North Texas can charge out-of-state students higher tuition than undocumented Texans, appeals court rules
Read full article: University of North Texas can charge out-of-state students higher tuition than undocumented Texans, appeals court rulesThe 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a federal judgeโs previous injunction that barred the college from charging out-of-state American citizens more than undocumented immigrants living in the state.
Rally held outside federal court in Houston as revised DACA program goes before judge
Read full article: Rally held outside federal court in Houston as revised DACA program goes before judgeA rally will be held outside a federal courthouse in Houston Thursday as a judge hear oral arguments on the legality of the 2022 DACA rule.
Appeals court ruling deals legal setback to Biden administration in gun stabilizing brace case
Read full article: Appeals court ruling deals legal setback to Biden administration in gun stabilizing brace caseA federal appeals court has dealt a legal setback to the Biden administration on guns in a lawsuit challenging tighter regulations on stabilizing braces, an accessory used in several mass shootings.
Whatโs next in abortion pill battle? KPRC 2 legal analyst explains court challenge
Read full article: Whatโs next in abortion pill battle? KPRC 2 legal analyst explains court challengeOn Friday, the Supreme Court temporarily kept in place federal rules for the use of an abortion drug while it takes time to fully consider the issues raised in a court challenge.
Biden to nominate Texas judge to be first Latina on federal appeals court
Read full article: Biden to nominate Texas judge to be first Latina on federal appeals courtBoth of Texasโ Republican senators voiced support for Irma Carrillo Ramirezโs nomination to the conservative 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Appeals court to decide if First Amendment should have protected Laredoโs โbig crazy ladyโ from arrest
Read full article: Appeals court to decide if First Amendment should have protected Laredoโs โbig crazy ladyโ from arrestPriscilla Villarreal was arrested over her Facebook postings. In a rare proceeding, the entire 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will weigh whether she can sue, a case that could have major ramifications for citizen journalists like her -- and professional ones.
Revival sought for pastor's lawsuit over COVID restrictions
Read full article: Revival sought for pastor's lawsuit over COVID restrictionsAn outspoken Christian conservative attorney from Alabama wants a federal appeals court to revive a Louisiana pastor's damage claims against state officials over long-expired COVID-19 restrictions.
Texasโ near-total abortion ban will remain in effect as federal appeals court agrees to hear legal challenge
Read full article: Texasโ near-total abortion ban will remain in effect as federal appeals court agrees to hear legal challengeSenate Bill 8 barred abortions as early as six weeks, before many people know they are pregnant. It is the strictest abortion ban in the nation.
Texas abortion law that bans procedure as early as six weeks set to go into effect after court cancels hearing, denies motions
Read full article: Texas abortion law that bans procedure as early as six weeks set to go into effect after court cancels hearing, denies motionsSenate Bill 8 is poised to officially become law on Wednesday.
Revival of โremain in Mexicoโ policy could have deadly consequences for asylum-seekers, advocates warn
Read full article: Revival of โremain in Mexicoโ policy could have deadly consequences for asylum-seekers, advocates warnThe Biden administration says it will continue its legal fight against the revival of a Trump-era policy that requires asylum-seekers to stay in Mexico while their cases are pending.
Texas can ban common abortion procedure in second trimester, appeals court rules
Read full article: Texas can ban common abortion procedure in second trimester, appeals court rulesThe ruling is yet another blow to reproductive rights advocates after Texas passed a law this year that goes into effect Sept. 1 banning abortions as early as six weeks. That law is also currently being challenged in court.